MILAN FASHION WEEK - THE REVIEW

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana took us on a stroll through an enchanted forest for their Autumn/Winter 2014 catwalk show, complete with woodland critters embroidered onto dresses, jackets and skirts.

A rich tapestry of warm jewel tones was weaved amongst deep forest greens and mysterious blacks with prints and embellishments dominating the collection. Sometimes the owls, squirrels and foxes were subtly placed within sweeping floral dresses, elsewhere they were predominantly appliqued with a fusion of contrasting fabrics.

Influences from all of the typical fairy tale characters were present within the chiffon gowns and shimmering brocade fabrics: knights, princesses, forest-dwelling maidens and even Little Red Riding Hood was referenced with hooded capes layered over A-line swing dresses.

Accessories were suitably striking; bejewelled balaclavas, jewel-encrusted gloves and delicate treasure box bags will create statement looks on their own or further emphasise the ‘Enchanted Sicily’ theme of Dolce & Gabbana’s collection.

Rather than re-visiting her favourite decade, Frida Giannini looked back a further ten years to embrace the 1960s this season.

Neat little princess coats, A-line shift dresses and knee-high python boots were clean and precise with more than a little nod towards the mods of the era. These polished pieces were offset by oversized shearling and goats hair jackets in delectable pastel shades.

These candy coloured hues dominated the collection – baby pink, sky blue, mint green and lemon – mixed through with a scattering of statement animal print pieces and a collection of crystal embellished cocktail dresses towards the end of the show.

The title of Just Cavalli’s latest collection spoke for itself: Renaissance Rock. Florentine statues, sculptures and paintings were captured in abstract photographic prints, overlaid with vivid neon brushstrokes that turned centuries old art into Cavalli’s ‘contemporary creative vision’.

All of the usual aspects of a Just Cavalli collection were evident; skinny metallic jeans, leather jackets, vibrantly printed dresses, statement accessories. A notable deviation from this signature style was the silhouette of the dresses – cut loose from the body and draped with asymmetric hems; they were not the body-conscious designs of past collections.

Fringing was prevalent throughout the show; statement exaggerated fringes applied to jackets, trousers, messenger bags and thigh-high boots, creating movement and texture within the collection.